Skip to main content

The seas of plastic - Captain Charles Moore

221,489 Views

8,900 Questions Answered

TED Talk

Let’s Begin…

Capt. Charles Moore of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation first discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — an endless floating waste of plastic trash. Now he's drawing attention to the growing, choking problem of plastic debris in our seas.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

1) Moore observes that we moved from a conservation-oriented culture in the ‘30s and ‘40s to a society enamored with disposable items by the ‘50s and ‘60s. In certain communities, however, this may be changing. Investigate Zero Waste Communities. What does it mean to be a Zero Waste Community? Where are they currently located? How did they get started? After your research, share some ideas with the leaders in your own community about how you can take steps in this direction. Good resources include:Zero Waste International Alliance: http://www.zwia.org/Zero Waste Alliance: http://www.zerowaste.org/Zero Waste Europe: http://www.zerowasteeurope.eu/ 2) Artist Chris Jordan believes that certain statistics are too enormous for many people to interpret—such as the one Moore shared about the amount of plastic bottles Americans use. Learn more about Jordan’s work to represent these statistics in his TED talk, “Chris Jordan pictures some shocking stats” at http://www.ted.com/talks/chris_jordan_pictures_some_shocking_stats.html. Share Jordan’s artwork with community members and classmates by arranging an “exhibit” of his photographs (see the “Intolerable Beauty” and “Running the Numbers” galleries on his web site, www.chrisjordan.com). Algalita Marine Research Foundation http://www.algalita.org/index.php United Nations Environment Programme Year Book 2011: Plastic Debris in the Ocean http://www.unep.org/yearbook/2011/pdfs/plastic_debris_in_the_ocean.pdf You Tube: Boston University -- Sustainability Lecture with Captain Charles Moore Discussing His BookPlastic Ocean(11/30/2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV0dpZVpaVc

About TED Talk Lessons

TED Talk Lessons are created by TED-Ed using phenomenal TED Talks. Do you have an idea for a lesson? Create it now using any video from YouTube »

Meet The Creators

  • Speaker Charles Moore

More from Discovering the Deep